Bowtie Private Access vs Microsoft Defender for Business
Bowtie Private Access
bowtie.securityMicrosoft Defender for Business
microsoft.comSide by side
| Figure | Bowtie Private Access | Microsoft Defender for Business |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $11/mo | $0.25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 4 |
| Spec score · Zero Trust Network Access Software | 8.7 (#8) | 8.5 (#13) |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California, United States | Redmond, Washington, United States |
| Support | Essentials includes email and site chat support plus access to a public Slack community; Enterprise includes priority support with an SLA and shared Slack channel. | Microsoft's Defender for Business documentation provides a guide for getting help or contacting support. |
Plans
Bowtie Private Access
- BasicFree
- Essentials$11 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
Microsoft Defender for Business
- Microsoft Defender for Business$3 a month
- Microsoft Entra Internet Access$5 a month
- Microsoft Entra Suite$12 a month
- Microsoft Defender for Business$3 a year
In their own words
Bowtie Private Access
Bowtie Private Access creates encrypted connections from devices to private resources without routing traffic through intermediary networks. Its Zero Trust policies grant authenticated access according to user or device characteristics. Bowtie Internet Access adds web filtering enforced on the device rather than through a centralized gateway, while its policy engine can unify overlapping networks and segment access. The product uses WireGuard encryption; Bowtie says keys are generated and stored in the customer's environment and traffic does not pass through its cloud. Basic is free for up to 3 users, 2 devices per user, and 2 controllers. Essentials costs $11 a month per user and supports up to 1000 users, 3 devices per user, and 4 controllers. Enterprise pricing is custom. SSO options include Okta and Entra ID, with configurations also described for GitHub, GitLab, SAML, AWS Identity Center, and Google IDP. Essentials includes API access and a Terraform provider; Enterprise adds MDM deployment and SIEM integration. Bowtie supports iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows, with client downloads for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Microsoft Defender for Business
Microsoft Defender for Business has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.